


A Special Kind of Run

by Moon_for_moon



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Creep!Thawn, Cuffs, Guns and violence, Human Trafficking, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, No Smut, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape/Non-con Elements, Restraints, Transporter AU, Whump!Barry, protective!Len
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 02:28:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19039321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_for_moon/pseuds/Moon_for_moon
Summary: Rule One: No questionsRule Two: SecrecyRule Three: Never ever open the packageWhen Len finds himself transporting a victim of human trafficking named Barry, he must find a way to save the traumatized man from his abuser before he is caught and killed.A.K.A.A fic heavily inspired by the movie “The Transporter”





	A Special Kind of Run

**Author's Note:**

> Ther is no smut in this story but rape and sex trafficking are implied. I am in no way trying romanticizing kidnapping. It is a horrible thing and I hope that one day it will be over.   
> To anyone who has suffered from trafficking or rape I am deeply, deeply sorry and I hope you’ll be able to recover as much as possible

Len knew something was off. Well.. there was always something off about what he did but it was his job and he followed the rules by the letters. 

Rule 1. No questions. 

Easy. Len was of a curious nature but he knew better than to follow his questioning instinct. 

Rule 2. Secrecy. 

What he did was less than legal. He knew it but he'd gotten dragged into the business when he was nineteen and had never thought about dropping out. Easy money and all. 

Rule 3. Never open the package. 

The most important of the rules. Transporters had one job; deliver the package, take the money and forget everything. Looking at what you were moving was the same as agreeing to a bullet in the head. 

Those were the three rules. They were simple to follow. He'd followed them a hundred times before, never wondering what he was delivering and never questioning what it was going to be used for. 

But this time felt different. 

It was well into the night and the parking lot was deserted. Len looked into the mirror on the side of his car as a black vehicle pulled up behind him. He unlocked the trunk with the press of a button and watched silently as two men came out the back of the vehicle carrying a long bag similar to the ones used to carry hockey sticks. Only this one was much bigger. Len could've easily laid down in it. Now that he thought of it, it did kind of look like a sleeping bag. Except completely closed. 

Len stopped any thought he was about to have. Rule 1 he remembered. No questions. That meant for himself just as much as for others. 

The package was dumped into his trunk with a silent "thump". One of the men slammed the trunk shut and quickly returned to his vehicle. It pulled away and disappeared as if it'd never been there. 

Len sat for a few minutes. Something felt wrong. "Rule 1." He repeated again. 

After about ten minutes he started the car and drove out of the parking lot. The address he'd received was far away. It would take a whole day with no breaks to get there.

"Better get going.." he mumbled. 

He drove down the city's main road for a few miles before taking an exit and leaving the city through a secondary road. If he got stopped by the cops he would definitely end up in jail. 

The reason why his travels usually took an entire day was explicitly because of that. He couldn't risk taking the main roads and running into company. He drove through the entire nigh, stopping under no pretext. 

The sun was starting to rise when a loud bang resonated around Len. He pulled over and thanked god he was on a country route where no one ever passed. 

He got out of the car and sighed. The rear tire was flat. It would take precious time to fix. He walked over to the trunk and hesitated. The spare was in there but he would be breaking one of the rules by getting it. 

But then again. He would be breaking one of the rules if he got caught by the cops. Except in the latter he would end up in prison. 

Making his decision, he popped the trunk open and looked down at the bag. It was.. moving. 

Len quickly grabbed the tire and closed the trunk. There was a human in his car. He was moving a fucking human. 

"Fuck.." He whispered. He didn't do humans. Drugs, weapons, black market merchandise but not humans! 

The people were expecting their "package". If he didn't bring it they would send someone after him. 

He changed the tire as fast as possible and got back into the driver's seat. He needed to think. 

He started driving again, focusing on what to do. 

That was until muffled screams and kicking started coming up from the back of the car. Len cursed out loud. He tried to ignore it but pulled over after two minutes, running out of his car and opening the trunk to see if the person was okay. 

He unzipped the bag and a furious head jerked out of it. It was a man. Gagged and bound and absolutely panicked. Their eyes met and he let out another muffled scream through the thick gag. 

"Oh my god.." 

The man jerked around, trying to get the rest of his body out of the bag. Len stared at him in disbelief and quickly shoved him back into the bag, slamming the trunk shut again and running back to the front of the car. 

He drove as fast as legally possible. This needed to be over with. 

He drove another hour and stopped at a gas station, briefly running into the small store and getting out with a few things. 

He drove two more miles and stopped. He popped the trunk open and unzipped the bag again. The same head appeared and with it a murderous glare. 

Len took his gun out and the man immediately started struggling, screaming behind the gag and kicking in the bag. 

Len didn't say anything. He removed the cap from the water bottle in his other hand and set it aside. 

"I'm going to take your gag off. No one's around so you try and scream and things are gonna get real ugly. Are we clear?" 

The man didn't answer but his eyes narrowed. 

"I'll take that as a yes." 

Len slowly removed the gag and brought the bottle up to the man's lips. He seemed dubious at first but a few gulps in and he was sucking the whole thing down like a vacuum cleaner. 

Len watched him more carefully as he let him drink. The man was sporting quite the black eye and his gaze seemed glazed over when he wasn't focusing on Len's own eyes. 

He'd probably been drugged, he thought. Len looked around, making sure there was no one else in sight and gently pulled the bottle away. He was about to put the gag back on when the man suddenly spoke up. 

"I have to use the bathroom!" 

Len sighed and tried to think. 

"Unless you want me to water the back of your car, I suggest you let me go." 

Len groaned and unzipped the bag the rest of the way. The man's wrists were tied behind his back but his ankles were free. 

Len helped him out of the car and tied a long rope to the wrist bound. 

"Bushes. There. Two minutes. Go."

He placed the gag over the man's mouth again and grabbed the rope, watching as it unfolded as the man disappeared between the bushes. It was risky. They were in the middle of a forest which meant no one was around. But still. Len didn't like this one bit. 

After two minutes, Len gave the rope a tug, signaling time was up. He waited a few more seconds and gave it another tug. And another. And another. 

He cursed out loud as he sprinted towards the bushes. He followed the rope and found the end laying on the ground. 

"Fuck!" He shouted in frustration. No more bathroom breaks that was for sure. 

 

Barry ran like never before. His bound hands made it that much more difficult for him to steady himself. Everything hurt. His chest, his legs, his arms. Worst of it was his head. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears. His vision was swimming and tunneled every now and then. 

But he had to keep going. Had to keep running. This was his one chance at escaping and he couldn't screw it up. 

His knees gave out beneath him and he collapsed, exhausted. "Get up!" A voice in his head screamed. He willed himself to make his legs work again and kept running. 

His vision was only getting worse and he felt absolutely nauseous. How long had he been running for? A minute? Ten? An hour? He'd completely lost track of time, fear and adrenaline pushing him forward. 

A weight too strong for his legs crashed into him and his face met the dirty ground of the forest again. He first thought his knees had given out again but a strong pull on his arms ripped a muffled cry out of him as he realized someone was holding him down. 

He struggled and fought as he was hauled to his feet. A black curtain fell over his eyes and he collapsed forward, unable to move. 

Two strong arms slid under him and lifted him up before he could hit the ground. He still couldn't see and the nausea was stronger than ever. His head lolled back limply as he struggled to stay awake. He felt the driver readjust him and his face came to rest against his carrier's chest. His will to say conscious abandoned him and he gave into the darkness. 

 

Len made his way back to the car with the man in his arms and laid him in the trunk. He quickly patted him down to check for injuries and closed the trunk. 

This little incident had cost him almost two hours. Between the search and finding his way back, precious time had passed. 

He drove in silence for the rest of the day. He would have to stop for the night sooner than he'd want to. He didn't hear anything from the trunk anymore and didn't go check. 

He pulled into the near empty parking lot of the small motel and went in to get the key to a room. He thought about leaving the unconscious man in the car but he couldn't risk him escaping during the night or dying on his watch. 

Which settled his decision. He checked the parking lot for witnesses and carried the man to the room. He was still asleep but he stirred when Len picked him up. 

 

The transporter laid his captive on the bed and locked the door. When he turned around, deep green eyes were staring at him, filled with sadness and despair. 

"What?" He asked drily. 

The man rolled his eyes and turned his head away. Len sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting down on its edge. The man's eyes widened slightly and he seemed to tense up. Len removed the gag and set it down on the small table beside the bed. 

"What's your name?" 

The man didn't answer and kept his mouth closed. 

"Fine don't tell me." 

Len's hand subconsciously reached out and took the man's chin in his palm, examining the bruise. Their eyes locked and he held his breathe. 

"How did you end up here?" He tried. 

The man rolled his eyes again, wincing as the movement caused pain and moved his head back. 

"I tried to run." He groaned. "He called friends and they caught me outside the airport. And now.." Barry swallowed painfully. "Now they're shipping me back into his arms." 

"Who's arms?" Len asked, clenching his fists by his side. 

The man didn't answer, only drew in a shallow breath. 

Len wasn't supposed to be asking questions. He knew it. But he couldn't keep doing this if he didn't have all the details. 

"What's going to happen to you once I deliver you?" 

Barry's eyes watered and a trail of tears rolled down the side of his head. His breathing quickened and he bit his lower lip, nearly drawing blood.

"Well it's definitely gonna be worse than before. He doesn't like it when I misbehave and running away.." a hysterical laugh bubbled out of his lips. "Oh, he's gonna kill me.." 

Len looked down and stayed silent. He was starting to piece together the man's situation but he wasn't positive of anything yet. Almost sure but not certain. 

"Here's what we're gonna do." He stated. "I'm gonna untie you and cuff your wrist to the bed post. We're both going to sleep and tomorrow I'll figure out what to do with you. Sound good?" 

The man didn't move or respond. His eyes were staring at the ceiling and more tears were falling. Len pursed his lips in an attempt to stay emotionless to the scene before him. 

This man was so young.. Probably the same age as his sister. Did this stranger have a family? A big brother who also trafficked humans? 

Lisa would be ashamed of him. 

Barry gasped and shuttered, desperately trying to stay collected and not break down in front of spectators. A broken sob escaped his lips and he winced, praying that the man didn't hear it. 

Something gently rolled him over and, all of a sudden, the cutting pressure around his wrists was gone. Barry looked at the driver and frowned, pulling his hands to his chest protectively. 

"Let me see.." Len asked softly, extending his hand to see if any real damage had been done to the skin. 

Barry hesitated and slowly placed his hands in the other's, screwing his eyes shut and waiting for the hard yank, the twist that would make his wrists snap, the pain. 

But none of it came. A thumb traced over the bracelets of bruised tissue and gently examined them. 

Barry opened his eyes and held his breath, absorbing the gently care administered. It had been so long since a touch hadn't been followed by pain. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like. 

He closed his eyes again and relaxed into the little massage. Unconsciously leaning into the man, searching for more comfort. 

"What's your name?" Len repeated softly. 

The man snapped out of his daze and slowly pulled his hands away. 

"Barry." He whispered. "My name is Barry."

Len nodded, whispering a soft "okay" and got up. 

Barry moved up the bed and sat against the headboard, pulling his knees to his chest and closing his arm around them. 

"Do you need anything else?" Len asked, roaming through his bag and pulling out a clean shirt. 

Barry shook his head. 

"How about you go take a warm shower? Seems like it's been a while for you." 

Barry looked at Len curiously and turned his head towards the bathroom door before getting up and walking over to it. 

A minute later, Len heard the shower running. He cracked the door open and set the shirt down inside for Barry to have something more comfortable to wear than his dirty clothes. He hadn't taken a change of pants but the shirt was long enough to reach mid-thighs. 

Okay. Now he needed to think. What was the plan? He wasn't carrying out this "delivery", that was for sure. 

First things first, he needed to warn Lisa, get her to disappear for a while.   
Second, he needed to change cars and get new identities for himself and the man.   
And last but not least, he needed a long night of sleep. Tomorrow's drive would be long with zero stops. 

The bathroom door closed and Len turned his attention towards Barry. The man's hair was still damp and a few droplets of water were trickling down his neck. It was very cute. 

Barry hadn't put his dirty jeans back on and Len tried his best to not stare at the man's exposed legs. 

Barry cleared his throat and Len quickly adverted his gaze to something else. 

"So.. uhm.. how does..?" Barry mumbled, gesturing between himself, Len and the one bed. 

Len pointed at Barry and indicated the bed. "You go in there. I'll find something else." 

Barry nodded and got into the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest and turning on his side. 

"How much time do I have before you get me there?" He asked sadly. 

"I'm not taking you anywhere." 

Barry looked at him with a furious expression tearing through the sadness. He didn't believe him. Obviously. And Len couldn't blame him. 

"I swear, Barry. You won't go back there. I won't let it happen. You have my word."

Len got up and took the pair of cuffs out of his pocket. He hated doing this but he couldn't risk having Barry escape during the night. If he did, Len would have to look for him and they'd undoubtedly get caught. He just needed the man to stay put for the next few hours and then he would get them both out of here. 

Barry tensed when he saw the cuffs but didn't try to fight when Len took his left wrist and attached it to the bedpost. 

 

Len was uncomfortable. He felt uneasy, knowing something bad would happen before anything good. His back rested against the hard wall and the radiator on his right kept making annoying noises. The room was dark and only a weak stream of light pierced through the closed curtains. 

He was just nearly dozing off when something roughly yanked his arm aside and a clicking sound resonated through the room. 

Len jerked back to consciousness. He tried to stand but something solid dug into the skin of his wrist and kept him firmly immobile. 

The lights came on and Len winced, trying to get used to the luminosity. 

Barry was there, running trough the room barefoot and collecting items before shoving them into Len's bag. 

"What the hell are you doing!" Len shouted, yanking at the cuff tying him to the radiator. 

"I'm sorry.." Barry whispered, clutching the bag to his chest. "But I can't go back. I won't." 

"Barry, listen to me! I'm not taking you back!" 

Barry held the bag tighter and stepped back, violently shaking his head. "You're lying. You're lying! Everyone lies all the time, thinking I won't realize or notice!" 

Tears were streaming down his face and deep gasps seized him every few seconds. "I can't go back! I can't!" 

Len desperately yanked at the cuff. "Barry please! I'm not taking you back! I swear! Just uncuff me and we can talk okay? No one's taking you anywhere!" 

Barry was moving backwards, getting closer and closer to the door. Len held his breathe. If Barry walked out of the room they were both dead. 

"I can't go back..!" Barry wheezed through gritted teeth. 

"Barry, hey! Barry look at me!" Len said, trying to calm him down. He nearly got nauseous when Barry finally did look up. There was so much terror in those eyes. 

"I'm so sorry.." Barry whispered. 

He quickly turned around, unlocking the door and yanking it open, running forward to escape.

..only to collide with a hard chest. 

Barry's eyes widened with horror and he managed to let out a blood curling scream as he was turned around right before a large hand clamped over his mouth. He was pulled flush against a blond man's chest and manhandled back into the room. 

Four men followed behind, spreading through the room. The door slammed shut and the lock clicked back in place. 

Barry kicked and screamed in the man's arms but it was useless. The hold around his chest and arms was too tight and he was too weakened from the trip to get out of it. 

"Hello, mister Snart." The man grinned, looking around the room . "And hello, Barry." He whispered, placing a kiss on his prisoner's exposed shoulder. "Seems Leonard here has been taking good care of you. You're all fresh and cleaned up for me." 

Len watched helplessly as Barry squirmed and whimpered behind the hand. He wanted to yank the radiator right out of the wall. But even if he could, there were five of them and one of him. 

"Who the hell are you!" He spat, trying to catch Barry's panicked gaze. 

The man smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling Barry along to make him sit on his thigh. "What? Barry hasn't told you?" The hand covering Barry's mouth slid to his chin, yanking it to make his captive look at him. 

"How rude." 

The instant their eyes met, Barry stopped moving and making noise. He was holding his breath and his eyes were blown wide with terror. He was completely frozen. 

"My name is Eobard Thawn and Barry here.." His thumb brushed over Barry's jaw and down his neck. "..is my property." 

The hand suddenly wrapped around Barry's pale neck and squeezed. Barry gasped and tried to bring his arms up to protect himself but they were held fast by his side. Black stars started appearing in front of his eyes and he let out a strangled noise. 

"You were bad, Barry. Really, really bad." The grip tightened and Barry's struggles started dying down, silent as tears of pain rolled out of his eyes. "You know how upset I get when you're bad." 

"Stop!" 

The grip disappeared and Barry swallowed in a gulp of air, chocking through the cough fit that followed. 

Thawn looked at Len curiously, the same way an adult would an arrogant child, and grinned darkly. 

"I don't think you understood me, mister Snart. Barry is my mine." He kissed up Barry's neck and nibbled at his ear. "And I am free to do whatever I want to him." 

Thawn's hand yanked Barry's head sideways and placed a wet kiss over his mouth, pushing his tongue into his prisoner's mouth. Barry struggled and whimpered again, hopelessly trying to pull away. 

"Get away from him!" Len screamed, rattling the cuff against the radiator. 

"As I recall!!!" Thawn's voice boomed, cutting off any opposition. "You were about to let him escape." He brusquely stood up, shoving Barry at one of the other men’s feet. 

He walked over to Len, who tried his best not to shrink back at the overwhelming presence, and knelt down so that their eyes were at the same level. 

Len stared defiantly, refusing to look away. A hard punch sent ringing to his ears. Another hit him in the stomach and he doubled over in pain. He faintly registered Barry's cut off scream. Another hit landed against his temple and he collapsed on his side, blood flowing into his eyes and blinding him. The attacks kept coming and he was powerless to defend himself. 

After an eternity, it stopped. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness but he couldn't go. Barry needed him. He could hear crying in the distance but maybe it was just his imagination. 

He wanted to move, fight, protect but his muscles didn't obey him anymore. 

The last thing he heard before blacking out tore his heart in a million pieces. Over and over the desperate plea resonated, grabbing onto him and slowly being ripped away. 

"Don't let them take me! Don't let them take me!" 

His eyes closed and he fell away into the depths of unconsciousness. 

 

When he came to, the room was empty. His hand was still cuffed to the radiator and his head was pounding like never before. 

He'd let them take him. 

Len screamed out in frustration, banging his hand against the warm metal. This was an absolute mess. 

He managed to sit up and winced as pain shot through his body. He probably had a concussion. Breathing deeply through his nose, he focused on everything in the room. He needed to find something to free himself. 

His eyes fell on the gun laying on the floor. Was it a threat? A mockery? A temptation? 

He tried to reach it with his foot but it was just out of reach. The end of his shoe just barely touched it. There was no way he could drag it to himself. Len let out a grown of frustration. 

It was a tease. 

The sound of police sirens spilled through the closed window. Len tensed and pulled harder against the cuff. He knew what he had to do. 

He rotated his body and pressed down on his shoulder, putting as much pressure as possible on his shoulder's articulation. 

An audible snap was heard. Len bit his arm to hold back his scream of pain. He limply repositioned himself and pulled at his dislocated shoulder. His foot managed to drag the gun over. 

Without a second thought, he shot into the metal string connecting him to the radiator, breaking it. He sighed relieved and ran to the window, pushing it open with his good arm. 

He jumped at same time as the door opened. He heard someone shout "police!" behind him but he was already falling. 

He ran. Looking behind himself not even once. He ran to the parking. Ran to his car. And drove the hell out of there. 

He needed to find Barry. Needed to save him. But first he needed to reset his damn shoulder and come up with a plan. It was around 4 in the morning but it felt like time had stopped. 

 

At 5 am, he reached the docks. His shoulder felt numb but he would get over it. Len pulled up and parked the car out of view. They were almost completely empty safe three large boats floating in the dark waters. 

"Are we ready to leave?" 

Len ducked behind some barrels and listened. 

"Yeah. Everyone's on board. We ship out in ten." 

"And you're still sure we're gonna get paid?"

"Dude, Thawn's a man of his word. Most of the time. We'll get our paycheck." 

Len silently followed the men back to one of the boats. There was one guard standing on side of the ramp leading to the ship.

He waited for the two men he'd followed to the ship to disappear and counted to ten. Len ran forward and slammed the handle of his gun into the guard's head, knocking him out before he could call for backup. 

He didn't think twice before pushing the man's unconscious body into the water, not sparing a second glance as he sunk and disappeared in the water. 

Len walked through the boat, remaining completely silent. He peaked around a corner, waited for a man to pass and pushed him into a an empty room. 

The man tried to go for his gun but Len shoved his own into the man's neck and effectively paralyzed him. 

"Where's Barry?" 

He was almost shocked by the murderous color of his voice. The man stayed silent and Len pushed the gun harder into his neck. He would have to thank Thawn for leaving the piece behind. 

"Two floor higher!" The man cried out. "Room 19! Just don't shoot me." 

Len smiled and slammed the man's head against the wall. 

"Thank you." 

He took the man's gun and locked the door behind himself. 

Barry was close. He could feel it. 

He made his way to room 19 and stopped at the corner of the hall. Two more guards were posted in front of the door. 

Len shot them both and ran to the door. It was locked. Without thinking he shot the lock and kicked the it open. 

What he saw felt like a punch in the throat. 

Barry was laying on a bed in nothing but a ridiculously small underwear just barely covering his privates. His hands were tied to the headboard with a satin rope and his legs were spread apart by a bar tied between his ankles. His eyes were open but they seemed empty, almost dead. 

Barry didn't react when Len shut the door, didn't turn his head or move his eyes. Just laid completely limp. Len actually did wonder for a second if he wasn't looking at a corpse. 

"Barry.." Len whispered. They didn't have much time. He ran over and started untying the rope around his wrists. "Barry, come on. Talk to me, I need to know you're okay." 

Barry didn't move. His arms fell by his side once released, lifeless. 

"Barry, look at me." Len said hastily, removing the rest of the restraints. 

"You let them take me.." 

The voice was so broken Len wasn't sure he'd understood correctly. 

"You gave me your word. You said you wouldn't let them take me back." 

Barry inhaled shakily and closed his eyes tightly, fighting the hurt and tears. 

"You lied." 

His voice was unsteady but carried so much pain it made Len falter. Yes. He'd let Barry down but it wouldn't happen ever again. 

"Barry.." Len anxiously checked the door. They were running out of time. "I'm here now. And I am.. so, so terribly sorry this happened but I need you to come with me and I'm gonna get you out, okay?" 

Barry still seemed dazed and confused, his mind struggling to break free from its self imposed protective trans. 

"Can you walk?" 

He clung onto the question, using it to pull himself out of the fog as much as he could but the drugs were still weighing on him, making it so difficult to focus. 

He shook his head slowly, shame burning in his stomach at being so weak. He drew in a deep breath to calm himself and felt his eyes getting heavy again. 

"Alright," Len whispered softly. "Alright, that's okay, Barry. I'm gonna pick you up now. You mustn't be afraid. I'm gonna get you out of here." 

Barry didn't give an answer. Len gently gathered the man in his arms and let his head rest on his shoulder. 

"I need you to be really quiet, Barry. Can you do that for me?" 

Barry let out a small "hmm.." and went silent. 

Len opened the door and glanced outside. Backup hadn't arrived yet. 

Suddenly, he felt the ship move. It tipped sideways and kept balancing unsteadily. Fuck.. they had left the docks. 

Len ran through the halls. He heard something behind him and quickly hid from view. Guards passed shouting orders at each other. They knew Barry was missing. 

He made his way to the bridge of the ship and was immediately hit by the strong wind of the night. Barry groaned as the cold air hit his bare skin. Len looked around, trying to find one of the safety boats he could use to get them back to land. 

Through the gusts of wind, he distinguished a somber "click". It was easily missable but it resonated deep in his ears like a gunshot. 

"Well, well, well..what do we have here? A thief? Stealing from me?" 

Len didn't turn around, his grip tightening on Barry. 

"I believed I'd make myself clear, mister Snart. I was kind enough to spare your life once. I will not be as generous this time around." 

Barry shuddered at the sound of his abuser's voice and opened feverish eyes to look up at Len. He mouthed something but Len wasn't sure he'd understood everything correctly. 

"Put my property down." 

Len gave Barry a subtle nod and a comforting smile before slowly laying him down on the wet surface of the ship. 

Thawn walked Len to the edge of the ship and smiled cruelly. 

"You had one job, mister Snart. One job, three rules and yet you managed to screw every last bit of that up." 

Len stared down at the freezing waves crashing against the side of the ship. They were getting dangerously close to the end of the ship. 

"At least you were stupid enough to come back here and think you had a chance against me. Now I get to kill you." 

Len turned around slowly, facing Thawn. He had a gun in his face but he wasn't scared. A small smirk appeared on his lips. 

"What's s-" 

Bang. 

The gun fired once, twice, ten times. Barry had emptied it before the other men could even move. 

Len jumped behind a barrel as bullets started flying. It had worked. Barry's crazy plan had worked. 

Not only had Len successfully managed to pass him the gun without the others noticing, Barry had done it. He'd finally killed the monster who'd been tormenting him for god knows how long. 

A bullet wished passed Len's head and hit something behind him. He didn't have time to look before an explosion boomed through the ship. 

 

Barry covered his ears, the gunshots too close, the rain hitting him too hard, the fire caused by the explosion spreading way too fast. 

Something closed around his arm and he opened his eyes, panting. Len's familiar face appeared before him. 

"Help me.." Was all he could say. 

The world was chaos. The men were retreating quickly, trying to control the fire. 

Len picked Barry up and ran. He made his way to the safety boats and set Barry down on the floor. The man reluctantly let him go and covered his ears again, hiding from the noise. 

Len turned to Barry. The small safety boat was ready. He just needed to- 

A powerful blast exploded in his ears. He only registered his fall when his body hit the freezing water. 

Behind him, the flames devoured the ship. 

Where was Barry? 

Len dove under the water. The salt stung his eyes and nose but didn't get into his mouth. He distinguished a figure floating and swam towards it. 

His arms burned with the strain of the water holding him back, slowing him down and keeping him away from Barry. 

Finally, his hands grasped skin. They broke the surface of the sea with a loud gasp. Waves were still crashing around them. Water. Everywhere. The boat Len had been untying was floating a few feet away. 

Using the last of his strength, he managed to climb into it and pull Barry up. The man was curled up on himself, shaking. 

Len managed to distinguish the lights of the docks and rowed through the storm. Barry wasn't moving but Len couldn't stop and check on him. There wasn’t time. 

The fire burned behind them, causing more explosions every few minutes. 

The boat finally hit the docks and Len had to stop himself from collapsing. He was so tired. But he couldn't sleep yet. He needed to get them to the car. 

With immense struggle, he managed to get to his vehicle with Barry in his arms and opened the back door. The car was large enough for Barry to be able to lie down horizontally without being too uncomfortable. 

Both were absolutely soaked. Len quickly got rid of his drenched clothes and tried to find something to dry them both off. 

Barry's breathing was filled with breathy pants and sharp inspirations. The rain was plummeting on the roof of the car, drowning out any exterior sound. It was just the two of them. Alone. 

Barry opened his eyes and stared at Len, his breath caught in his throat. Len stayed silent, not wanting to break the intimacy between them. In another time, in another place, this would have been so different. 

A droplet slipped from Len's forehead and ran down his nose. He swiftly wiped it away, breaking the glass bubble formed around them. 

"I'm gonna get you out of here." His hand came to rest on Barry's arm. "I'm gonna get you to a police station." His eyes closed and he turned his head away, pain clutching at his chest. "And you're gonna tell them what happened. And they're gonna take good care of you." 

Barry nodded silently. The reality of the situation was slowly returning. He was going to be free. He was going to go home. He was.. he was safe. 

He surged up, nearly knocking Len over with the force of his jump. It took Len a moment to register what exactly was happening but a wave of relief washed over him when he did. Barry was hugging him. 

He hugged back despite his usual hate of physical contact. It wasn't like he'd ever see Barry again after this.

The next few hours went by in a thick fog. It was as if time had frozen and yet passed by faster than lightning. 

He'd driven, ignoring the dull ache in his stomach at the idea of never seeing Barry again, briefly stopped to buy dry clothes, dropped Barry off three blocks from the police station and driven away. 

He watched from his car as Barry disappeared into the station and let out a quiet groan. Forcing himself to leave had been the hardest part. At least now it was over. Yep.. over..

 

Six months passed. 

Len had gone back to transporting. Luckily, the past events hadn’t gotten out and destroyed his career. Things were fine. Everything was fine. So why did he feel so strange? 

It was a bizarre feeling. Perhaps longing? Or melancholy? 

Lisa would probably set on one of her theories and tell him he simply missed Barry, but that wasn’t the case. 

He barely thought about Barry anymore. Not at night, not while transporting and not about all the intimate moments they’d shared and definitely not every time he passed a police station. 

He was just.. curious. Yes that was it! Curious. Not lonely. Definitely not lonely. 

Walking up the stairs to his apartment, Len sighed deeply. He needed to get over this. He jammed his key into the lock of his door but it slid open on its own. The door was open. But he had been absent all day and he had definitely locked in this morning. Which meant someone was in his home. 

Len pulled his gun out and pushed the door open the rest of the way. He slowly entered the apartment and started down the hall. The lights were out so he could barely see ahead of himself but he knew his apartment. Nothing was missing for the moment. 

The kitchen was on his left and the small living room right ahead. He walked slowly, being sure to not make any noise. 

Someone cleared their throat and Len damn near emptied his gun in that direction. A figure was sitting on the kitchen counter, hidden by the darkness. 

“Hey.” The figure gave a little wave. “It’s been a while.” 

Len didn’t lower the gun, keeping it pointed at the stranger’s head. “Got a death wish or something? Who are you and what the hell are you doing here?” 

The figure straightened and hopped off the counter, leaning against it instead. “I need your help.” 

Len huffed and rolled his eyes. “And why would I help you?” 

The figure stepped forward and a strand of light coming from the street brought clarity to their identity. 

“Because I know you. And you know me. And you’ve helped me before.” 

Len lowered his gun, dumbstruck. “Barry..” 

He was different. His frame stronger and his hair shorter. His head was held high, confident, no longer broken and terrified. 

“Someone’s after me, one of Thawn’s old friends.” Barry spat the cursed name with venom. 

Len stared at Barry’s green eyes, filled with passion and life, so different from the ones he’d known six months ago, so much stronger. 

“Who?” 

Barry looked aside and sighed, not answering the question. 

“Barry.” 

The man looked back at Len and bit his lower lip anxiously. 

“Barry, who’s after you?” 

He seemed torn, as if saying the name would summon all demons of hell. Len observed him. He had truly changed. But the fear once dominant in his gaze had not disappeared. It was still there, subtle and invisible to anyone who hadn’t seen it center stage but it was there. Whoever was chasing Barry now was worth being afraid of. 

“Zolomon.” 

Len frowned at the strange name, unsure he’d heard correctly. 

“His name is Hunter Zolomon.” 

Barry glanced around, avoiding Len’s direct gaze. He was scared, frustrated, perhaps even tired. 

“And he won’t stop until I’m six feet under.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed!   
> Please leave kudos and a comment if you did.   
> Feedback and opinions are always valued


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